Where is the parotid gland located? What is it, why is it inflamed? You will find answers to all these questions in the materials of this article. You will also find out what symptoms are characteristic of a disease of this internal organ and how it is treated.
basic information
What is the parotid salivary gland? You can see a photo of this body in this article.
This is a complex alveolar serous paired salivary gland. It has an irregular shape, as well as a thin capsule that completely covers it. According to experts, the mass of such an organ reaches only 20-30 g.
Kinds
Human salivary glands are paired organs. They play a huge role in the process of digestion of food, and also have a direct effect on protein and mineral metabolism in the body.
The salivary gland of the parotid is just one type of organ in question. There are also submandibular and sublingual glands.
How is a function performed?
The salivary gland of the parotid , submandibular and sublingual glands produce up to 2 liters of fluid per day. These organs are very important for moisturizing the oral mucosa, as well as for protecting against the introduction of pathogenic bacteria. In addition, they are directly involved in the breakdown of complex carbohydrates and the elimination of certain medicinal substances.
It should be noted that the parotid salivary gland plays the role of endocrine glands, exerting a beneficial effect on protein and mineral metabolism. This happens due to the presence in their secretion of a hormone-like substance called parotinin.
As you know, saliva helps the unhindered passage of food into the throat, improves taste perceptions, and also increases the resistance of the human body to various infections with the help of lysozyme.
Anatomy and location
The salivary gland of the parotid has an irregular shape and a grayish pink color. It is located in the parotid chewing part of the face, immediately under the skin, down and in front of the auricle. Thus, this paired organ is located at the posterior edge of the chewing muscle, on the side of the lower jaw.
From above, this organ approaches the zygomatic arch, from the back to the processes of the temporal bone (mastoid) and the anterior edge of the clavicle-sternum-mastoid muscle, and from the bottom to the lower jaw (to its corner).
The parotid gland is covered with a capsule called the "parotid chewing fascia." Its density is uneven. For the most part, it is dense, but has loosened areas that cover the medial and upper surfaces of the gland.
The capsule in question extends into the salivary organ and divides it into lobes. Thus, the parotid gland has a lobed structure.
Features
Blood supply to the gland is carried out through the parotid branches of the temporal artery. As for the venous outflow, it occurs with the help of the mandibular vein.
Parotid gland: inflammation
The common name for inflammatory processes in the salivary glands is the term "sialadenitis." Typically, such diseases occur when an infection gets along with blood or lymph, as well as an ascending path from the oral cavity. This pathological process can be purulent and serous in nature.
The parotid salivary gland, inflammation of which can occur for various reasons, is prone to mumps or mumps. If this child’s organ is sore and symmetrically swollen, you can safely make the above diagnosis. It should be noted that mumps complication is male infertility. This is due to the fact that the mumps virus affects both the salivary glands and the germ cell tissue of the testes. To prevent such a disease, vaccination is used, which is given to preschool children.
Other diseases
Inflammation of the parotid salivary gland, the treatment of which will be presented below, may indicate not only epidemic mumps. This organ is also susceptible to autoimmune diseases with the accumulation of lymphoid cells in its tissues. Such a disease is called Sjogren's syndrome. The cause of this disease can be viral infections in combination with a genetic predisposition.
Also considered glands are prone to stone sialoadenitis. This disease is characterized by reactive inflammation and the formation of stones in the salivary duct. Such calculi prevents the outflow of saliva, which can cause the development of a retention cyst.
Why is it inflamed?
The causes of inflammation of the parotid salivary gland are known to all specialists. This organ is susceptible to acute viral infection. Such a disease belongs to children and very often passes in the form of epidemic outbreaks in school and preschool groups.
Most often, a viral infection is transmitted by airborne droplets. Although there are often cases of domestic infection. The main age of sick children is 5-10 years.
Timely examination of the child can save him from many problems.
It should also be noted that such a disease is also inherent in adults (usually men). Moreover, they carry it more heavily. Very often, adult patients experience complications in the form of infertility and testicular atrophy.
Symptoms of the disease
Now you know what the parotid gland is. Inflammation (symptoms of the disease will be presented right now) of this organ should be treated immediately. How to understand that a patient is infected with mumps or mumps? Firstly, a strong inflammatory process leads to an increase in body temperature up to 40 degrees. This condition can be recorded up to one week.
Mumps are also characterized by unpleasant sensations at the location of the parotid gland, which become more intense when trying to talk and eat food.
If you examine in detail the area where the organ is located, then in front of the auricle you can first find a small, and eventually increased swelling.
Other symptoms
The main symptom of mumps, which doctors use for diagnosis, is the disrupted work of both parotid glands. At the very beginning of the disease, an inflammatory increase in one organ, and then the second, starts.
After the gland increases its size several times, the patient’s face becomes “mumps”, that is, it expands downward (acquires a pear-shaped form). Also, the inflamed organ stretches the skin, which becomes unpleasant and shiny in appearance.
On palpation, the affected glands are quite painful. Sometimes they squeeze the ear canals and cause discomfort. By the way, such a process can impair the patient’s hearing.
Due to the fact that the outflow of saliva in the patient is impaired, his mucous membrane becomes excessively dry. After a week, the swelling of the parotid glands gradually subsides. Along with this, the remaining symptoms of the disease go.
In addition to the viral origin, manifestations of mumps can occur due to injuries, infections and hypothermia.
Diagnosis of the disease
Now you know why parotid gland inflammation occurs. Symptoms, treatment of this disease are also presented in the article.
To diagnose such a disease, you should immediately consult a doctor. Experienced specialists make a diagnosis immediately after examining the patient. This is due to the fact that the symptoms of parotid inflammation are quite difficult to confuse with signs of other diseases. But to find the viral cause of this disease, many doctors recommend making swabs from the oropharynx, as well as taking the secret of the organ for its subsequent analysis. By the way, blood is also good for this. From this biological material, a virus can be isolated quite easily.
Often, to diagnose, specialists examine paired blood serum of the patient. Such an analysis also reveals antibodies to the mumps virus.
Ultrasonography
As mentioned above, for the diagnosis of the disease in question, only an examination by a facial surgeon or a dentist is sufficient. But in some cases, to clarify the nature of the pathological process, specialists perform additional examinations. One of them is an ultrasound of the soft tissues located above the salivary glands. In this case, doctors can:
- determine the presence of calculus;
- assess the nature of the pathological process (for example, diffuse or localized);
- diagnose an inflammatory or other process in all salivary glands.
What to do if the parotid gland has become inflamed?
There are currently no drugs that can quickly cure mumps. In uncomplicated cases, the treatment of this disease is symptomatic. It is aimed solely at preventing the development of complications.
Due to the fact that the disease in question is transmitted mainly by airborne droplets, daily wet cleaning with the use of disinfectant solutions should be included as a mandatory measure during the patient’s therapy. Also, the patient is recommended to rinse his mouth with soda solutions and citric acid. Such procedures will increase salivation and contribute to leaching of stagnant salivary glands.
In addition to all of the above, the patient needs:
- observe bed rest;
- apply alcohol or warming salt compresses to the area of inflammation;
- undergo warming physiotherapeutic procedures;
- rinse your mouth with various antiseptics.
In severe forms of sialoadenitis, antibiotic therapy is required. Its purpose is to eliminate the inflammatory process and restore the normal functioning of the gland.
To remove the tumor and improve the microcirculation of the organ, the patient is often prescribed compresses using Dimexide. If after this the symptoms do not quench, then intramuscular injections of sulfonamide antibiotics and hypersensitizing agents are carried out. Also sometimes resort to drainage of the salivary glands. This procedure eliminates the stagnant contents of the gland and remove signs of inflammation.